I sat in James's study, the drapes drawn closed and a fire crackling. My mind was steeped with anger as the tears fell down my cheeks. There was no way Elizabeth could be dead. She was though. She was gone. My friend was gone.

The guards began to file in shortly after I took up a seat at the desk. The head guard deposited three pearl necklaces in front of me. I picked each up, carefully examining each one before shaking my head.

"No. None of these are the right one."

"Yes, ma'am." He turned and hurried out.

James unstopped a bottle of malt and poured two glasses. I gladly accepted one from him, sipping at the amber liquid, ignoring the burning sensation as it slid to my belly. My throat was on fire and it sat in my stomach heavily and angry. I didn't care though. It warmed my trembling body.

Staring into the fire, I tried to imagine life without Elizabeth by my side. How was I to marry without one of my chief ladies?

"There are more." James placed his hand on my shoulder, drawing me from my thoughts.

I turned to the desk and examined the necklaces. None of them matched. My heart sunk to the pit of my stomach as the hours ticked away.

I waved them off as I finished off the glass of malt. "Another."

"Are you..."

"I said another!"

"Alright." James didn't question me further. He simply poured the drink and stepped back.

"Evelyn, this isn't the way to go about this." Charlene reached for the glass, but I smacked her hand away.

"This is how I am going to go about things for now. Until I find who did this, I will sulk and be sullen. I shall not marry until the culprit responsible for Elizabeth's death is located."

"What if it wasn't anyone here?" Charlene asked.

James stepped forward, placing the decanter on the table. "It very well could have been The Guild."

I shook my head. "No. No this was not them."

"How are you so certain?"

"They are neat and methodical. This was messy and planned."

"What?"

"The Guild would never have left a trail of blood like that. They wouldn't have killed Elizabeth differently than the rest of the staff." I stood, glass in hand, and strode to the window that overlooked the area where the remains were found. "Let's not forget that the Guild members never made their way inside. All of their killings happened in the back near the kitchen."

James pursed his lips and furrowed his brows for a moment. "You are right. They never came inside the castle."

"So, logically thinking, it had to be someone inside. It had to be someone staying here."

"You know what, Evelyn, I think you might be right," Charlene said, pacing about the room as we all waited for more guards.

"Of course I'm right! I know I'm right. Now when we find who has her necklace, we'll find the evil-doer who murdered the dear Elizabeth."

"How can you be sure?"

"She had not taken that trinket off since..."

"Since when?" James prodded.

"Since the Earl, John Stewart gave it to her."

Charlene nodded.

I stood, the drink nearly tipping over in my hurry. "How well do you know the earl?"

"I grew up with him. He's my father's sister's son. A very reputable man."

"Is he married?" I queried.

"I thought he was betrothed to one of the ladies at court. I must have been wrong if he has been seen canoodling with Elizabeth."

"Is it possible that he was being a scoundrel?"

James furrowed his brows once again, causing his forehead to wrinkle as he sat. The guards entered once again with a handful of pearl necklaces and placed them in front of us.

"How many pearls are in this castle?"

"We've finished searching the first floor, ma'am."

"I will help," I muttered, glancing over the necklaces.

Elizabeth's wasn't there.

I strode from my chair to the hallway. Heading up the stairs, I went from door to door, peering in each room. The last door though didn't budge when I turned the handle. Grasping it, I turned and slammed my shoulder against the door. It never budged.

"Who's room is this?" I questioned the guard.

"Um, that is the Earl of Buchan, John Stewart."

"John Stewart? Open this door. Immediately!"

The guard fumbled with his keys as he searched for the one to Stewart's chambers.

"Hurry, man!" I urged.

"Calm down, Evelyn."

"No. Not until I get into this room."

The guard approached with the key, turning until a click sounded. Turning the knob this time the door swung open. I glanced about the empty dwellings. The bed sheets were messed up, and his clothing was strewn about. A desk sat overturned and a chair rested against the fireplace.

"I want the castle and grounds searched! Nobody rests until John Stewart is located!" James shouted to the guards who turned from the room.

With the help of James, I picked the desk up. Opening the drawers I shuffled the papers about. Picking up one, it was a letter from someone who simply referred to himself as A. He thanked John for the information given. I handed the stack of papers over to James, who yelled in rage.

"He's a traitor!"

"I'm sorry."

"I trusted him! He is my cousin!"

I shook my head. "He's a spy apparently."

Beneath a few books in the bottom drawer I found what I was looking for, Elizabeth's necklace. The beautiful pearl was covered in blood. I dropped to my knees and sobbed, holding the precious trinket in my hands. Charlene picked up one of the books and flipped through it.

"You may want to read this."

She handed the book to me. It was a diary of everything John had received as payment for helping this A.

"I don't understand. Whoever A is has been paying John off to report back on everything happening at the castle. There aren't any secrets about the kingdom. No disclosure of military strategies. It started a few days before we arrived."

"The Guild."

"Perhaps, but why would he kill Elizabeth? There is no reason for her to die."

"He's not the man I thought he was," James mumbled, flipping through the diary. "Wait. Here. He mentions Elizabeth here."

"He does? What did he say?" I asked, reaching for the book

James shook his head and pulled the book away. "You don't need to read this."

"Yes, I do."

"It's not very kind."

Taking a deep breath I continued holding my hand out for the book. Reluctantly, James handed it over. Closing my eyes for a moment, I opened them and started from the only place one could when reading. At the top.

Today the silly handmaiden seemed enthusiastic upon receiving the necklace. I didn't have the heart to tell the girl it meant nothing. A simple trinket I stole from a foreign dignitary some time ago. What troubles me though is her thoughts on marriage and children. She assumes that this means we are betrothed. I must stop this nonsense before it spreads about the court. I have been wanting to try something new. Something most sinister. I fear if I'm found out the king will surely have my head. However, if he finds out my deal with this most evil of groups, he may very well have my head anyway.

I threw the book onto the table and stormed out of the room, still clutching the worthless trinket he'd given to Elizabeth. The thing she cared so much for and saw so much in. It meant nothing. Not a damned thing to a man who she had hoped would ask for her hand.

I searched the rest of the rooms in the hope the coward hid somewhere. I screamed out in rage at the end of the hallway, gripping the edge of the windowsill so hard, with the necklace still in hand, hard enough to cause my skin to tear and bleed. I watched as the blood slid down the side of the wall, dripping to the floor.

"Your hand." James held it up, examining the small cut.

"Naught but a scratch," I mumbled, tearing off a piece of my night dress and wrapping it around the wound. "I shall be fine."

"My surgeon..."

"Is not needed. I shall survive with such a small blemish upon my skin."

I turned around and watched the flurry of guards running about the halls. Nobody seemed to know what to do next. I didn't even know.

"What about secret passages?" Charlene asked, opening another door to a small room.

"Pardon?" James asked.

"Passages. Somewhere the earl could use to get about the castle undetected."

"Of course there are passages. None that he would know about."

"You grew up together. He played here as a child, did he not?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"He had time to explore the castle and grounds. He could very well have found staircases to get around."

James's eyes grew large as he rushed back to the chamber that John Stewart used as lodgings. He went to the wall nearest the bed and pulled on a sconce. The wall creaked and moved backward enough for a grown person to squeeze by.

A terrible odor emanated from the crack.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Charlene called out, scurrying from the room.

"That smell."

"Death," James said, moving forward.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and followed close behind, grabbing a torch from the wall before vanishing in the crevice.

A narrow hall extended beyond the wall before curving around a corner. James led the way, peeking around the wall.

"All is clear."

He continued along before descending a set of stairs.

"Where are we in the castle?" I questioned.

"We should be near the kitchen."

"The kitchen?"

James didn't answer. He stopped and turned his head away.

"What?"

"I've found John."

I peered around his body and saw the rotting corpse of John Stewart, Earl of Buchan slumped against a wall. A dart stuck in his neck.

"The Guild got to him before we could."

James shook his head, ushering me backward. "Why would they kill someone who was aiding them?"

"He took it upon himself to divert from the path they had. He killed Elizabeth. She was never part of their plan."

"How can you be sure?" he asked.

"I just know. I saw how they worked. How conniving and unforgiving they are."

"What now?"

"I-I don't know."

We emerged from the wall, informing the guards of our discovery.

"He's dead?"

"Unfortunately. I can't watch him suffer on the scaffold now," I growled, a solitary tear sliding down my cheek.

"He will be interred in his family's chapel."

"He should be burned. He doesn't deserve a burial!"

"Calm yourself, Evelyn. He's dead. He didn't get away with anything."

"It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, dear girl," Mother said, entering the room. "I saw Elizabeth. The poor thing. I'm not sure how her mother will handle this."

"Oh poor Angeline," I wailed.

"She shall be fine. Her daughter will return home after the wedding."

"A wedding feast and funeral bells," I said bitterly.

"Yes. We will attend before you go on progress to the northern countries."

"My what?" I asked.

"You and James will go on progress after the wedding. Both of our countries will meet the new prince and princess of each country."

"Do I not get time to mourn?"

"You can mourn as you travel."

I sighed heavily and pushed past the impossible woman. She didn't understand. She would never understand.